Stories of
American Heroes -
Brought to you from the "Home of Heroes" - Pueblo, Colorado

Philip Bogan Keefer

TAPS

Fading light dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky,
Gleaming bright.
From afar drawing nigh,
Falls the night.

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, From the hills,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.

Then good night, Peaceful night,
Till the light of the dawn
Shineth bright,
God is near, do not fear,
Friend, good night.

Arlington National Cemetery
11-527-SH

BORN:September 04, 1875 at Washington, DC

Entered Service in the US
Navy from Washington, DC

Earned
The Medal of Honor During the Spanish-American War For heroism
on July 20, 1898 at Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

DIED:January
15, 1949 at the age of 73

At 7 A.M. on
July 20, 1898 the USS Iowa was patrolling near Cuba in support
of American forces engaged in the Spanish- American War, when it
was rocked by the explosion of a manhole gasket in one of the
boilers of fire-room Number 2. The explosion filled the
compartment with live steam, and water boiling at 220 degrees
covered the floor, seriously injuring one man. In his nearby
compartment, Coppersmith Philip Keefer and while fellow sailor
Robert Penn was pulling the injured man to safety, Keefer
ignored the danger to carry out the fires from the inboard
furnace of Boiler B. That accomplished, he ignored the
continuing danger to return to assisted Keefer in attempts to
contain the effects of the explosion to prevent further damage
to his ship. With several inches of boiling water covering the
floor, Penn fashioned a rickety bridge by throwing a plank
across some ash buckets held in place by Coppersmith Philip
Keefer and another man. He then traversed this unstable bridge
over the boiling waters to carry the remaining two fires from
the boiler room. (Others Involved in this action: Robert Penn)